Surrey Green Timbers has "reel a lure"

If something smells a little fishy as you read this, blame me. I can't resist all the literary devices that a good fishing story has to offer. It's like shooting fish in a barrel. Ever since I was invited to the 20th annual Fish for Life derby, I have been dreaming of the succulent taste of fresh grilled trout. The sizzle as the outer skin crackles above the heat of hot coals, a drizzle of olive oil, some sea salt, pepper and lemon. Nothing tastes as good. But before we cast our lines in that direction, here are a few nibbles about the park.

Newly restored wetlands

Lots of accessible groomed trails to hike

I love these wheelchair adapted picnic tables

Surrey has a long been the butt of jokes. Traffic happy neighbourhoods where streets are more highway than road, crime, low income run down areas and distance from the heart of Vancouver have all provided fodder. But of late Surrey is enjoying a renaissance and is now one of BC's fasting growing cities. A new downtown core is being constructed complete with community square, recreation centre and newly added Simon Fraser University Campus. This reconstructed heart of the city is located near the King George skytrain station situated a mile or less from beautiful Surrey Green Timbers Park.

The area known as Green Timbers Urban Forest was the original site of the Yale Wagon Road, the main route that connected the west coast with the interior in the 1800s. As early as 1860, attempts were made to have this area designated as a park. In spite of these efforts the magnificent, pristine virgin forest was completely clear cut by the late 1920s. In 1930 Canada's first documented attempt at reforestation got underway. This area had long been a battleground between conservationists and developers. In 1987 the fight culminated in the incorporation of  the 1000 folks-strong Green Timbers Heritage Society.  The Society managed to protect 42 acres and in 1988 this urban forest was reborn. Through persistence and government lobbying, a further 53.3 acres were secured. The rest of the rainforest is managed by BC's Ministry of Forests but is not yet a completely declared protected greenbelt. For more information on the Green Timbers Heritage Society, including a list of  programs and events such as nature walks, easter egg hunts and more, go to http://www.greentimbers.ca./ The Nature House is under extensive renovations and promises to be as inclusive as this extremely accessible park.

Getting there I opt for a shared transit/taxi ride. I usually rely solely on Translink's remarkably accessible transit system, but as you travel east, service across the board is less and less accommodating. The park could be walkable from the King George Highway station in future when development is complete. The early reviews are fantastic. Surrey has made a real effort to accommodate people with disabilities. What was 7+ years ago a death defying attempt at crossing the King George Highway (scary enough to make the King himself redevelop his stammer) is now literally a very pleasant walk in the park with all the latest in way finding and crossing access.  However, beyond the immediate development we are back to large highway-like avenues and roads, construction, poor curb cuts, treacherous crossings and bus stops that are far less inviting than the park. The taxi on the way there got lost and we spent $17.50 getting to the park as opposed to $7.50 on the return trip. To avoid feeling like a sucker who took the bait, you should specifically request the entrance at 100 Ave and 144 Street. If you are driving, go to the same entrance.because the lot has designated parking spots for PWDs. The washrooms are great though scarce and many of the trails are easy to traverse and well marked with plenty of places to sit.

Lets' get back to those succulent pink fleshed rainbow trout. The host for the derby is a group of volunteer anglers called Fishing forever and the BC Wild Life Federation. They are a fantastic group of people who clearly work very hard to put on this thoughtfully planned event. When they say they will provide you with everything you need you can trust them. Fishing pole, bait, licence, sunscreen and lunch were all provided. They even provided breakfast in the form of Tim's donuts, the fuel of any great Canadian fishing expedition. If that's not enough a free cap and a cool t-shirt (and trophies for the winners) were also part of the haul.

Over 75 of us kept event coordinator Rob Ausma and a congenial group of helpers busy with baiting hooks, untangling lines, teaching to cast, serving lunch, bandaging barbs, and way finding. They did all of these tasks with the utmost respect and were very free to let us find our own way. Unless this man-made lake freezes over, you can fish year round. Be sure to obey all rules and get a licence. For rules, licences and information on discounts for PWDs go to http://www.fishing.gov.bc.ca/ .

In the end it didn't matter who won the trophies, but for the record here they are: Ed Yee for catching the first fish, Glen Burrant for catching two fish (junior category) and Ivan Ngai who also caught his quota of two fish.

 As for me, a baby bald eagle ripped an eight pounder right from my hands.